Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9289479 | Virus Research | 2005 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
A novel coronavirus (CoV) has been described in association with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The virus, SARS-CoV, differs from the previously described human coronaviruses, 229E and OC43. 229E was previously shown to productively infect human monocytes/macrophages, whereas OC43 poorly infected the cells. In this study, we examined whether SARS-CoV could productively infect purified monocytes/macrophages (PM) derived from human donor cells. Unlike 229E-infected cells, which produced viral titers of 103.5 to 106 TCID50/ml, SARS-CoV replicated poorly in PM, producing titers of 101.75 to 102 TCID50/ml. This finding was similar to results reported for OC43-infected cells, with titers ranging from 101.2 to 102.7 TCID50/ml. Of interest, SARS-CoV proteins were detected only in PM that did not produce significant amounts of interferon (IFN)-α, and in one such case, preliminary electron microscope studies demonstrated that SARS-CoV-like particles could enter the cells, possibly via phagocytosis. These results suggest that SARS-CoV, like human CoV OC43, poorly infects human PM, and production of IFN-α by these cells further limits the infection. Given the importance of monocytes/macrophages to the immune response, it is possible that their infection by SARS-CoV and alteration of this infection by IFN-α may be important to the course of the infection in humans.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Virology
Authors
Mamadi Yilla, Brian H. Harcourt, Carole J. Hickman, Marcia McGrew, Azaibi Tamin, Cynthia S. Goldsmith, William J. Bellini, Larry J. Anderson,